No. 18 Vanderbilt Looks to Extend Home Success Against Red-Hot Kentucky
Preview: Kentucky at No. 18 Vanderbilt
The No. 18 Vanderbilt Commodores Men’s Basketball team is set to host the Kentucky Wildcats on Tuesday night. The Commodores had a bounce back win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Saturday in Starkville, Mississippi, 88-56 to improve to 17-3, 4-3 SEC. That was a much needed win for Vanderbilt, as they had been on a three game skid after starting 16-0.
Tyler Tanner leads the Dores with 17.4 points per game, and is hitting just under 50 percent from the field at 49.8 percent. Duke Miles is right behind at 16.6 points per game, and leads the team in steals with 2.8 steals a game.
Last game out against Mississippi State, he posted a career-high seven steals, which is the most by a Commodore since 1998. Miles has been listed as Questionable on the SEC availability report for the game.
The Dores currently average 90.1 points per game to Kentucky’s 82.5. The Cats hold a slight two rebound per game advantage over the Commodores with 38.3 total rebounds a game.
Kentucky is rolling in on a five game winning streak, after a 72-63 win against the Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday led by Otega Oweh’s 23 points. Oweh had a takeover second half with 20 points, and led all scorers.
Oweh has been the engine for the Wildcats during their hot streak, averaging 19.2 points over the five game run. Denzel Aberdeen has also stepped up with 16 points per game over that stretch, while Collin Chandler has caught fire from deep with 11 threes over the last five games.
Kentucky enters at 14-6, 5-2 in SEC play, and is climbing back into the national picture after a 6-4 start to the season. The Wildcats have dealt with significant injury issues, with Jaland Lowe out for the season and Kam Williams also facing a long-term absence. Jayden Quaintance will miss his sixth consecutive game due to swelling in his surgically repaired knee that has sidelined him again after a brief return, according to A Sea of Blue.
This will be a matchup of contrasts. Vanderbilt brings one of the SEC’s highest-scoring offenses while Kentucky has turned into one of the conference’s better defensive units. Which one will prevail in this matchup?
Kentucky leads the all-time series 158-50, including a 62-28 record in Nashville. The teams split last season’s matchups, each winning on their home floor. The Wildcats have won three of the last four overall.
Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. CT on ESPN.
